Rupinder Pal Singh, Birendra Lakra retire from international hockey
The Hindu
Rupinder Pal Singh represented India in 223 matches and Birendra Lakra in 201.
Drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh and defender Birendra Lakra, who played starring roles in the Indian hockey team's historic bronze medal-winning Tokyo Olympics campaign, on Thursday announced their international retirements within hours of each other, creating quite a flutter.
While Rupinder quit “to make way for youngsters” and announced his decision by posting a statement on his twitter page, Lakra's retirement was confirmed by Hockey India.
It has been learnt from reliable sources that both the players decided to quit after they were informed that they will not find a place in India's scheme of things going forward and will be ignored for the national camp that starts in Bengaluru next week.